When the Wind Blows
by Paul Matthews
Summary: It’s always the person you least expect who is there for you when things get rough, and London Tipton is about to find out just how rough life can be. Personal tragedies and heartache have a way of bringing two unlikely people together. Zack/London
1. Mischief Makers

**Author's Note: Well I'm back. For those who were paying attention a few weeks ago I know I started a new story and then dropped it, but that's because I just wasn't feeling it after I started, but don't worry I'm seeing this one through. This is my first stab at a Zack/London story and it will be sad at parts just to warn you. Enjoy!**

**EDIT: When I wrote this story the episode "Family Thais" had not aired yet, so I apologize for the mistake on my part regarding London's heritage.**

**Chapter 1: Mischief Makers**

As the day came to a close Zack and Cody went through their clean up for the night before finally clocking out of their respective jobs. There was no one on deck besides the two of them and at this point they were grateful for the peace and quiet. Cody gathered up the discarded towels and quietly mumbled to himself about the hygiene of some of the ship's guests. He came across a particularly nasty towel that looked like it had been used to soak up a whole mixture of messes.

"Ugh this one smells worse than your room!" Cody said as he held a towel up by a small frayed thread at the corner.

Zack let out a little chuckle, but he seemed to be too busy with something behind the juice bar to really pay attention to Cody. Zack had his back turned to him as he fumbled around with something that Cody could not see.

"I hope you are cleaning over there. I'm almost done and I'm not helping you clean your work area for a third night in a row!" Cody said as he stowed the towels in a linen closet located a few feet from the juice bar.

Cody locked the closet and walked over to the juice bar to see how far Zack had gotten on his clean up, but just as he feared it was just as messy as ever.

"Zack!" Cody said in frustration.

"What?" Zack said and turned around to face Cody.

When he turned Cody saw that Zack had placed two long straws between his upper lip and gums and they now hung down past his chin.

"Do I even want to ask?" Cody said.

"I'm a walrus!" Zack said with a chuckle.

Cody reached over and yanked the straws out, causing Zack to yelp and rub his gums in pain.

"Watch it!" Zack cried out.

"Will you clean up already, curfew is in 15 minutes!" Cody said as he threw the straws into the trash.

"Relax! It won't take me that long," Zack said and began wiping down the counter with a rag.

Cody watched as Zack hastily wiped the counter down, missing spots here and there. As he wiped with one hand he used his other hand to chunk a couple of cups into a tub used for dirty dishes. Cody tried his hardest to sit back and let Zack work, but he couldn't bear to watch it any longer.

"Oh just give me that!" Cody said and took the rag from him.

Cody then thoroughly cleaned the bar while Zack leaned back and watched. When Cody finished Zack applauded him.

"Bravo! It's never looked better. Come on let's go," Zack said while patting his brother on the back.

It suddenly stuck Cody that he had just done Zack's work for him yet again, but at this point he was too tired to even care. The two of them made the trip back down to their cabins looking worn out and ready for sleep.

"I can't believe you decided to stay on board all summer," Cody said.

"Well Mom was doing a tour around the country, singing at all the Tipton Hotels and Maddie spent the summer in Antarctica so I figured I'd have more fun just staying here," Zack said. "You only stayed here for the Summer because Bailey was staying. If Maddie had been in Boston I would have been home in a heartbeat."

Just the mention of Bailey was enough to make Cody forget how tired he was. He leaned against the wall and thought about all the things he had planned for the next day with Bailey. He would have stood there all night if Zack hadn't snapped him out of it.

"Hello, are you listening to me?" Zack asked.

"Huh?" Cody said.

"Nevermind, London and Woody are coming back tomorrow so at least I'll have someone to hang with while you and Bailey do your usual boring stuff," Zack said as he reached his door. "Night Cody."

"Night," Cody said as he shut his own door.

Morning came a little too quickly for Zack and if it weren't for the loud horn on the ship he might have slept right through the morning. The horn had signaled that they were pulling into port, so Zack decided to get up and get dressed to go greet London and Woody when they came aboard. It was no surprise to Zack to find that Cody and Bailey were already awake and making googly eyes at each other on the deck. He ignored them and went over to the railing to see if you could catch a glimpse of his two returning friends. He then noticed a limo pulling up in front of the walkway onto the ship and had no doubts as to who was inside. Zack watched with a laugh as London made the limo driver fetch her bags while she walked up the walkway with her hands free. She wore sunglasses and a large pink hat. Zack couldn't help but find her appearance a little silly, but that's one of the things he liked about her.

"I'm back!" she sung out as she reached the deck.

She seemed a little taken back when the only people that greeted her were Zack, Cody, and Bailey. She then walked over to a small group of people, whispered something to them, handed them something, and then repeated, "I'm back!"

This time the small group applauded loudly and London thanked them for their kindness. "Thank you, you're too kind," she said.

"Hey London," Zack said and she turned to him with a smile.

"Hey Zack," London said and hugged him, but she was then distracted by the limo driver who had just managed to make it to the top of the ramp, looking ready to fall over under the weight of her bags. "Just take those to my room," she told him.

"So how was your summer?" Zack asked.

"It was great. I spent some time in the Virgin Islands, and let me tell you something those islands were so beautiful I don't know how they've remained virgins for so long," she said with a laugh. "I think I'll have Daddy buy me one of them so I can hook it up with a nice boy island," she then added in what Zack took to be complete sincerity.

Zack was fighting back a laugh, but he had to admit it was nice to have her back on board. The two of them walked around the deck towards her cabin and chatted some more.

"I heard we're heading for a tour of the Caribbean before school starts back up. Maybe we'll run into some pirates," Zack said jokingly, but it caused London to stop dead in her tracks.

"Say what?" she asked with a look of worry. "No one said anything about pirates," London said.

"London I was joking," Zack told her and she finally let out a breath she had been holding.

"Oh thank God. I would not want pirates on this ship," she said and Zack figured she didn't want them stealing her stuff, but he should have known better.

"I mean have you seen the way they dress, and that tacky jewelry they wear?" she said and headed towards her cabin, leaving Zack dumbfounded and trying not to laugh.

Once London was situated they returned to the deck to find that Cody and Bailey had gone off somewhere else on the ship. They also noticed that Woody had arrived and had wasted no time in heading for the juice bar.

"What's up Woodster?" Zack asked and Woody turned with a cup still to his lips and waved.

"Hey did you guys hear we're taking a tour of the Caribbean?" Woody asked, slopping a little juice onto himself.

London looked disgusted at Woody, but Zack just laughed.

"Yeah we heard," Zack said and offered Woody a napkin.

"Do you think we'll see pirates?" Woody asked excitedly.

"I thought you said that was a joke!" London exclaimed.

"It is," Zack said reassuringly.

"It is?" Woody asked.

"There are no more pirates in the Caribbean…that I know of," Zack said and London looked happy, while Woody looked like he just learned Santa wasn't real.

Woody went back to his juice, but Zack found himself lost in thought. The gears in his mind started to shift into high gear as a plan formed.

"What if we brought Pirates back to the Caribbean though?" Zack asked.

"Zack you are really starting to worry me," London said.

Woody was stunned enough to stop drinking and look up.

"No I mean we could dress up as Pirates, for fun," Zack said and Woody looked overjoyed.

"I love it!" Woody said.

"We could dress up and have a sword fight on deck or something," Zack said as he stared off into space as if he was watching it unfold on an invisible screen.

"Could I have a parrot?" Woody asked excitedly.

"I don't think we could find one on short notice," Zack said.

"I have a stuffed animal parrot," London said.

Woody was like a kid on Christmas morning as they planned their fun. Even London decided to get in on it. Soon they were collecting items to make their plan work. The next morning the three of them gathered at Zack's room and put on their outfits. Zack and Woody had eye patches and hats. Both of them wore white shirts and black vests, with gray pants and black boots. Woody had taped the stuffed animal parrot to his shoulder and kept playing with it like it was real. London on the other hand was still in the bathroom getting dressed.

"Are you almost ready?" Zack called out.

"Yeah I'm ready," she said and when she walked out Zack was floored by what he saw.

She had on a glittery silk bandana, a tight tank top that was rather low cut, and a short skirt with a gold sash tied around her waist. On her feet she had thigh high black boots. Zack couldn't take his eyes off of her and after a few seconds she waved her hand in front of his face.

"Zack….hello?" she said.

Woody was too busy with his parrot to really notice her outfit, but Zack had to shake his head to regain his wits.

"You look great, I mean your outfit is great," Zack said.

In all the years he had known her, Zack had always found London to be cute, but he was interested in Maddie. For the first time Zack really found himself attracted to London and he couldn't believe it. London seemed to have forgotten Zack's lack of manners and adjusted her makeup in a mirror before the three of them headed out.

Meanwhile on deck, Cody and Bailey were sharing a juice at the juice bar while scattered guests talked across the deck.

"It's nice having things so peaceful and quiet around here. I almost hate that classes are about to start again in a week," Cody said.

"I know, this reminds me of summer days back on the farm. All we need is my Uncle's jug band and it will be complete," Bailey said and the two of them laughed.

Cody went to take another drink when suddenly the peace and quiet was broken.

"Avast ye matey!" Zack cried out.

Cody nearly choked on the drink as Zack and Woody appeared on deck having a sword fight with plastic swords. The two of them seemed to be locked in a heated battle as they fought back and forth. The fight then came precariously close to Cody and he had to lean back against the bar to avoid it.

"What are you two doing!" Cody cried out.

"Fighting to the death," Zack said without missing a beat.

"If only," Cody muttered to himself as the two of them continued to fight out into a more open area.

Zack took a swipe that nearly hit the fake parrot and Woody cried out, "Watch it! You almost hit Skittles!"

"You named it Skittles?" Zack asked as they continued to fight.

"Yeah, it's rainbow colored," Woody said.

London was watching the fight from the stairway with a look of fake fright.

"Look out Zack…I mean Arrrrrr watch it me mate…I think," London cried out.

"Why are you rooting for him?" Woody said.

"Because he's better dressed," London said and Zack had to grin.

Woody's distraction was enough and Zack was able to knock his sword away.

"Arrr I got ye! Now it's time to walk the plank!" Zack said.

"I don't think so!" came a loud voice from the other side of the deck.

Mr. Moseby came walking around the corner and London hid herself beside the stairway. He walked straight over to Zack with a look of anger on his face.

"What do you think you are doing? You are disrupting our guests!" Moseby said.

"We were entertaining them! We're heading to the Caribbean so we thought we'd have a Pirate theme," Zack said.

"I don't recall putting you on the payroll to entertain the guests! You are being a nuisance! What am I going to do with you three?" Moseby yelled.

London came out from behind the stairs looking upset.

"She wasn't part of it," Zack said quickly.

"She's dressed as a Pirate!" Moseby said.

"That's just one of her outfits," Zack told him.

"She was talking like a pirate and cheering you on," Moseby replied.

"Well you know London, I assure you she had nothing to do with this," Zack said.

Moseby looked ready to throw the three of them into the brig, but finally he pulled himself together and said, "Fine, but the two of you will be punished."

"Well you can't give us detention, school hasn't started yet!" Zack told him.

"There are other ways of punishing you," Moseby said with a wicked grin. "You two will swab this whole deck for the rest of the day and I want to be able to see my face in it!"

"Yes sir," Zack said with an air of defeat.

Moseby left to go get the mops and buckets and London walked over to Zack.

"You didn't have to do that for me," London said with a smile.

"This wasn't your idea, we dragged you into this. It's okay," Zack said.

"Thank you Zack, I had a lot of fun," London said and hugged Zack close.

The hug only lasted a second, but it left Zack frozen in place for a few seconds after she left. Woody finally came over and poked him on the shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…I think," Zack replied.


	2. Summer's End

**Chapter 2: Summer's End**

Usually Zack liked being out in the sun on the S.S. Tipton, but on this day he was silently cursing the sun for beating down on him while he and Woody swabbed the deck. Woody fiddled around with the mop and somehow managed to only cover an area of about 10 feet in three hours. Zack on the other hand was making good time and becoming increasingly frustrated with Woody.

"Woody will you pick up the pace already?" Zack called out.

"Hey it's really hot out here," he replied.

Zack didn't mean to yell at him, but he was beginning to think that Moseby was being overly harsh, especially since they didn't hurt anyone or break anything. He had been bored all summer and having his friends back on board had brought out the mischievous side again. He couldn't help it if he needed a little break from the monotony. As Zack rounded a corner he saw Cody coming his way and sighed.

"Wow this is the most cleaning you've done in some time," Cody joked, but the look on Zack's face told him not to push it any further. "So what made you guys decide to do that anyway?" Cody added.

"I don't know, boredom and spontaneity I guess," Zack said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well try not to get into any more trouble. We're going to stop in Jamaica today and you won't want to miss out," Cody said.

Zack perked up at the idea of going onto the island and started to pick up the pace.

"Woody hurry it up or we're going to leave you on the ship today!" Zack called out.

"What?" he replied.

"Nothing," Zack said.

Zack was beginning to think that he'd never get done when suddenly five men with mops came around the corner and began to work.

"What are you guys doing?" Zack asked.

"Miss Tipton sent us to finish swabbing the deck. She said you and your friend could use a break," one of the men said.

"Sweet!" Zack said and handed his mop to Cody before leaving.

Cody then handed it to one of the workers and followed Zack back to the deck.

"What was that all about?" Cody asked.

"I don't now, but London has just become my new best friend. Hey Woody we can stop now," Zack called out to his friend.

Zack left to go find London and it didn't take long before he came across her sitting on a deck chair talking on her cell phone. As he approached her he caught the end of her conversation.

"Okay Maddie, talk to you later," she said.

Zack's heart skipped a beat. With all that had happened that morning he had forgotten that Maddie was heading back to Boston already and would probably be home.

"You are amazing," Zack said once she hung up her phone.

"I know, it's a gift," she said with a smile.

"So is Maddie back in Boston?" Zack asked.

"Yeah, I guess her Aunt Arctica got tired of her and sent her back," London said and Zack was amazed that she still didn't know what Antarctica was. "Zack you know I'm only joking, I looked up Antarctica awhile back," she added upon seeing the look on Zack's face.

"Oh, yeah I knew that," Zack replied.

"I told her to bring me back a Penguin though. I hope she brought me one of those cute ones that dance," London said and this time Zack couldn't hold his laugh in.

London looked unsure how to take his outburst, but Zack quickly changed the subject.

"So are you looking forward to going to Jamaica?" he asked.

"I've been there a few times now," she said as she started leafing through a magazine she found on the chair next to her.

"So you're not going with us?" Zack said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Oh no I'll go, you guys will need a tour guide right?" she said with a smirk.

"Why do I have a feeling we'll be touring all the best shopping districts on the island?" Zack asked.

"Because that's how I roll," London said without looking up from her magazine.

Cody and Bailey joined them on the deck looking excited to go on land.

"Hey guys, what do you have planned when we get to Jamaica?" Cody asked.

"Shopping," London said.

"I'm just going to wing it," Zack said.

"Well Bailey and I are going to start off by going to the Alligator Pond, then a safari boat tour down the Black River, and perhaps a birding tour as well," Cody said.

"Aren't those all the planned activities their doing? Live a little Cody," Zack said.

"I happen to like what they have planned. Besides if I go with you we'll both end up having to clean the whole ship," Cody said and Zack just grinned like it was a compliment.

"Well like I said I'm going to just go with whatever comes to mind. I'm gonna run to my cabin for a few minutes. I'll see you guys on deck later," Zack said and headed for his cabin.

Zack had planned to send an email to Maddie to see how her trip went, so he took advantage of the time they had left before heading to shore. When he arrived in his room he opened his laptop and found that he already had an email from Maddie waiting for him.

"Sweet," he thought to himself.

Maddie told him about how interesting it was to observe the research being done in Antarctica and how cold it was as well. She then went on to tell him a few funny stories about her stay, but what really caught Zack's eye was when she talked about her boyfriend. Zack became frustrated as he had hoped she had broken up with him by now. They had been dating for almost a year now and it drove Zack crazy. In the email she told him that her boyfriend had something special planned for her return home and Zack groaned at the thought.

"I bet it's something lame," he said to himself.

Zack sent a reply back telling her that he was glad she had a good time and he tried to be cordial about her boyfriend, even though he hated to do so. He secretly hoped that her time away had made her forget about her feelings for this guy. Zack hit send on the email and then left his room to rejoin his friends.

He found them lining up on deck to leave the ship and jumped in line with Cody, Bailey, Woody, and London. London waved at him as he stepped up and gave him a smile. They filed off the ship and down to the dock below where Ms. Tutweiller was waiting for them.

"Okay everyone stick together please. We will form into two groups. Those who want to go to the planned tours around the island come with me, and those who don't want to go will stick with Mr. Moseby, but by all means please stay with your group!" she said above the noise.

Cody and Bailey went with Ms. Tutweiller while Woody, Zack, and London stuck with Mr. Moseby. Mr. Moseby noticed this and looked like he instantly regretted his decision to lead this group.

"Okay everyone we will be taking in a little bit of the culture of the island. With London's help we will be visiting some of the shops and restaurants of the island," Moseby said.

The group moved into a small area where shops were set up for tourists. All sorts of homemade jewelry and other items were being sold. Zack and London walked over to one that had some beautiful items for sale and London looked through them. She had a look of curiosity, but she didn't seem that impressed. Suddenly the shop owner saw her and came over.

"Hello dere pretty one, how are you today?" he asked.

"I'm fine thanks," she said without looking up.

Zack was a little wary of the man as he eyed London.

"A woman as fine as you would look good in some of my best jewelry," he said and reached up to touch her hair, but suddenly a man walked over and slapped his hand away.

London jumped back in shock as the man pulled the salesman away.

"You bumbo clot! Do you not know who dis woman is?" the man asked in anger. "Dis is London Tipton," he added and the salesman's eyes went wide.

"I apologize Ms. Tipton, I did not know," he said. "Feel free to look at whatever you like."

London smiled politely at the man, but she left the store without buying anything.

"Wow you're pretty well known around here," Zack said as they walked on.

"Oh yes, Daddy owns an island not far from here and comes here all the time," London said.

"Zack, London, don't wander off!" Moseby called from down the street.

Zack half way waved to show that he heard, but he was too busy talking to London to care. The two of them spent the day together, eating the local cuisine, looking at shops, and talking about the island. They came upon a group of people playing music and London grabbed Zack's hand.

"Dance with me," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

London didn't even answer, she pulled him over and started dancing to the music. Zack couldn't help but laugh as her idea of dancing made it look like she was either trying to swim through air or push invisible people out of the way. Even them men playing the music had a good laugh.

"She dances from the heart my friend," a man said to Zack.

Zack stopped and watched for just a second as she did her best to move to the beat. There was something about her that he just couldn't explain. A year of being classmates had given him a new outlook on London and over the last day he had begun to see her in an even newer light. She might have gone on forever if her cell phone had not rang. London stopped and walked away from the musicians to talk.

"Oh hi Maddie, yeah I'm in Jamaica," London said into the phone.

Zack was snapped back to reality and the mention of Maddie made him feel even more confused. He loved Maddie, so these new feelings were conflicting to him. London moved out of range for Zack to hear, but he didn't dare eavesdrop so he stood back and watched her. The man from before walked over to him and said, "Hold on to that one, she has a genuine free spirit to her. I can see it in her."

"Huh? Oh we're not together if that's what you mean," Zack said.

The man just laughed and patted Zack on the shoulder before walking away. Zack had no idea what he meant by that. Zack was lost in his thoughts when Woody walked up to him.

"This place is really nice. I got this cool seashell necklace," Woody said and showed it to Zack.

"Yeah...that's nice," Zack said without looking.

"Are you okay? You're doing that thing again," Woody said.

"What thing?" Zack asked, this time turning to look at him.

"That thing where you zone out and just stare off into the distance," Woody said.

"I just have a lot on my mind is all," Zack replied.

The three of them rejoined the group as the day wound on. As dusk began to set in they all gathered on the beach for a bonfire. Cody sat with his back against a log and had Bailey in front of him. Cody wrapped his arms around her and let her lean into him as the two of them shared a kiss. Zack decided he had enough of seeing that so he looked out across the water and just took in the beauty of the sunset. He was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice London sit down next to him.

"This makes me wish that Summer wasn't about to be over," Zack said.

"I know, I just want to be done with school," London told him.

"You still have one more year, just like us," Zack reminded her.

"I knew I should have actually showed up for school for all those years. I can't believe I'm so behind," London said in frustration.

"It's okay, if you had then you wouldn't be here with us," Zack said to her, trying not to sound too over eager.

London smiled and lightly shrugged her shoulders. As the sun went down it became a little chilly on the beach and Zack found that London was inching closer to him for warmth. He didn't mind this at all, especially when she began to lean her head down towards his shoulder. Just as she was about to rest her head Bailey asked her a question.

"I heard Maddie was back from Antarctica. I'd love to hear about her trip," Bailey said.

Zack silently groaned to himself as London engaged in a conversation with Bailey for awhile. Sadly London never got that cozy again for the rest of the night and by the time they headed back to the ship Zack was lost in his thoughts again. When Bailey mentioned Maddie the inner turmoil came back. He decided to head for his cabin and check for a reply from Maddie.

Meanwhile on deck Cody, Bailey, and Woody talked about their day for a little while. It wasn't until thirty minutes had past that Woody finally noticed Zack had not returned.

"Hey where's Zack? He never goes to bed this early," Woody said.

Woody decided to head to Zack's cabin to see if he was okay. He knocked and there was no answer at first. He knocked again and heard Zack say, "Who is it?"

"It's me Woody," Woody replied.

Zack opened the door slightly and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling up to talking right now. I just want to be left alone for a bit."

It wasn't very light in the hallway, but Woody could tell Zack was upset.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. Sorry Woody," Zack said and then returned to his cabin.

Woody came back to the group and Cody asked if everything was okay.

"He's real upset about something, but he wouldn't tell me," Woody said.

Suddenly London appeared on deck looking very happy.

"Guys guess what! Maddie got engaged tonight!!" London announced.

Woody and Cody exchanged glances and instantly knew what was troubling Zack.


	3. All Good Things

**Chapter 3: All Good Things**

Zack lay in bed on his side, facing away from the door because he frankly didn't even want to think about leaving his cabin that day. His mind raced with thoughts of all that had taken place the day before. Part of him secretly hoped that it had all been a dream. Actually when he thought about it that wasn't entirely true. A lot of the day had been quite good in fact. However, it was also one of the most confusing days of his life. The girl that he thought he loved was getting married and a girl that he had only considered a friend was bringing out new feelings inside him. He knew that Maddie would tell him to move on, but would she tell him to move on to London? Before Zack could contemplate any further there was a knock on his door.

"Go away," Zack called out.

"Zack it's me," came the familiar voice of his brother Cody.

"Then definitely go away!" Zack answered.

"You should come out and get some fresh air. We're all worried about you," Cody said through the door.

"I'm fine, I just want to be alone right now!" Zack said.

Cody decided it was best not to push it any further, so he turned and left. After he was sure Cody was gone Zack realized that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep that day so he got out of bed. Zack didn't want to leave the room so he pulled out his laptop, but to his dismay he realized that he had never closed the email from Maddie. The first thing he saw when the screen came on was the email and he quickly closed the computer. Maddie had been extremely nice when breaking the news to him. She told him how sorry she was if she hurt him, but none of it made the sting go away. Finally after a few minutes he decided to open the computer back up. He went to the email and clicked reply and finally started drafting a response. In the email he wrote:

_Dear Maddie,_

_All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. It's why I saved your prom, it's why I came to your Sweet 16 party, and it's why I stood up for you during the musical. You don't have to worry about me because I'll be fine. If this man makes you happy then I am happy for you. _

He had to stop because tears had started to flow. He meant every word he wrote, but it was hard. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and resumed typing.

_You will always mean the world to me and I hope everything works out for you. If this guy ever hurts you make sure he knows that I'll hurt him. _

_Like I said before, don't worry about me. I've even been hanging out with this girl on board the last two days and things seem to be going well._

Zack stopped himself again as he wasn't sure if he should mention his possible feelings for London. He wanted to reassure her that he would be okay, but he wasn't sure how she'd react. He decided not to mention her name and continued his typing.

_I think she likes me too, but I'm not sure yet. She's a little bit older than me, but hey you know me. I'll be fine. I just have to move on like you said._

_Good luck in school and all and I hope to see you during Thanksgiving break. Maybe you can introduce me to this guy then. Take care._

_Love,_

_Zack_

He looked it over twice and felt that it was good enough, but he hesitated on hitting the send button. Finally he clicked send and breathed a sigh of relief. He sat back in his chair and just stared at the computer screen. He was deep in thought when there was another knock on his door.

"Who is it?" Zack asked.

"It's Woody, we've docked in the Bahamas are you coming with us?" Woody asked through the door.

Zack wanted to say yes, because it was a great opportunity, but he just didn't feel ready.

"No that's okay, I'm not feeling up to it," Zack said.

"Are you sure?" Woody asked.

"Yeah I'm sure. Just go without me, I'll be okay," Zack said.

"Okay, we'll try to bring you something back," Woody said before leaving.

Zack felt a pang of regret as he heard Woody's footsteps trail off. He was almost thinking of going after him when his phone started to ring. He looked down at the caller I.D. and saw that his Mom was calling. He picked up the phone and let it ring a couple of more times before finally answering the call.

"Hello," Zack said into the phone.

"Sweetie it's your Mom. Are you okay?" she asked in a concerned motherly voice.

"I'm fine Mom," Zack said.

"Are you sure? Everyone is worried about you. Cody says you haven't come out of your room since you heard about Maddie," Carey said.

"I just need some time to think that's all. I already sent an email to Maddie telling her that I will be fine and that I'm happy for her," Zack said impatiently.

"Do you really mean that though?" Carey asked.

"Yes, of course I do!" Zack replied loudly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I just need some time to think."

"Honey your friends want to be there for you. You should let them," Carey told him.

"I know Mom. I'll be okay though," Zack reassured her.

"Well okay, but promise me you'll get out of your cabin today," Carey said to him.

"I promise Mom. I love you," Zack replied.

"Love you too sweetie," Carey said as she hung up the phone.

Since he had made a promise to his Mom Zack decided to leave the cabin. He figured with everyone on the island that he wouldn't run into anyone he knew. He made his way out on deck and was happy to find no one out there. He took a seat on one of the deck chairs and just listened to the water crash against the boat. He tried to calm himself down and just let his mind wander to better things, but no matter what he tried he kept thinking of Maddie and then London and then back again. He had just closed his eyes when he heard someone call out to him.

"Zack??" Kirby asked from across the deck.

"Yeah Kirby, what's up?" Zack asked as he opened his eyes and saw him walking towards him.

"I heard you was holed up in your room," Kirby said as he took a seat in the deck chair next to Zack's.

"I just wanted some alone time, and please don't ask if I'm doing okay. I'm so sick of being asked that," Zack said in frustration.

"I won't, but I gotta say you gave your friends quite a scare. Miss London looked kinda upset this morning," Kirby said and Zack looked up quickly.

"She did?" Zack asked.

"Yeah, when she heard you weren't coming ashore with everyone else she looked disappointed. I figure she's worried about you," Kirby said.

Zack felt sick to his stomach. He never wanted to hurt anyone, but he just didn't feel like socializing. Now he felt terrible for the simple fact that he upset London. Zack couldn't even deny it now, he was falling for her. Kirby was looking at Zack while he thought things over and he had a look of concern himself.

"I know you really liked her Zack," Kirby said and for a second Zack thought he had figured out that he had feelings for London, but then it hit him.

"You mean Maddie? Yeah, I was in love with her," Zack said and diverted his eyes to the deck in an attempt not to cry.

"It will hurt for awhile, believe me I know. I was in love once. The day I found out she was dating someone else I cried myself to sleep," Kirby said in a low voice so that no one else could hear them.

"Really?" Zack asked.

"Really! My Mama once told me that all good things must come to an end. I know that sounds bleak, but I think I understood what she was trying to say. She meant that not all things last forever, but that doesn't mean that there won't be other good things that come along," Kirby told Zack as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you mean. There's this girl I've been hanging out with the last couple of days. I've always seen her as a friend, but now I think I'm starting to have feelings for her," Zack confessed.

Kirby looked at Zack for a second with a contemplative look, before speaking again.

"Well do you think this girl feels the same about you?" Kirby asked.

"I don't know. I think she does, but I just don't know," Zack said and shook his head.

"You're worried about messing up your friendship with her aren't you?" Kirby asked.

"Yeah, plus my friendship with Maddie," Zack told him.

"I'm sure Maddie would want you to be happy," Kirby replied.

"It's not that. Maddie and this girl are friends and I'm not sure how she'd react if I started dating her," Zack said.

Kirby was studying Zack closely without a word for a second and then finally he said in a hushed tone, "You're talking about Miss London aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am," Zack said finally.

Kirby started to smile and patted Zack on the back.

"Zack I'm pretty sure London cares about you a lot," Kirby said.

"Yeah, but does she like me as more than a friend?" Zack asked.

"I don't know, but you might get a chance to ask her," Kirby said and pointed to the top of the ramp, where London was entering the deck.

"London!" Zack said as he stood up.

When London spotted him her face lit up. She walked over and immediately hugged him close.

"Oh Zack I'm so sorry. I know you must be hurting," London said as she held the hug a little longer than usual.

"I'm okay, why did you leave the group? Didn't you want to see the islands?" Zack asked her.

"I've seen them plenty of times. I wanted to see if you were okay," she said with a smile.

"I don't know, I want her to be happy, but it's hard," Zack said.

"I know, but hey I think I have something that will take your mind off of Maddie. Come with me I want to show you something," London said and led Zack by the hand towards the stairs.

Kirby watched the two of them go with a smile on his face.

"I do believe that boy is going to be just fine," he said to himself and then left to go do his rounds for the day.


	4. London's Bridge

**Chapter 4: London's Bridge**

London led Zack up the stairs to the upper parts of the ship. He couldn't help but wonder where she was taking him. The whole trip she held onto his hand, which was perfectly fine with him.

"London where are you taking me?" Zack asked out of curiosity.

"You'll see," she said.

As they went through a doorway that took them out onto the upper deck Zack finally realized where they were.

"London that's the bridge, we're not allowed up there," Zack said.

"You're forgetting that my Dad owns the ship," London said with a smile.

They walked right up to the door to the bridge and went in. Captain Lunsford was inside and he was prepared to tell off whoever it was that had come in until he noticed London.

"Hello London, what brings you up here today?" Lunsford asked.

"I wanted to show Zack my bridge," London said.

Zack was already looking all around the room at all the dials and knobs, as well as the captain's wheel in front. There were charts on the walls and there were men sitting at the controls doing their jobs. As Zack glanced around he noticed a sign at the back of the room which hung over the controls. The sign read, "London's Bridge." Zack couldn't help but laugh when he saw it.

"It really is your bridge," Zack said to London.

"Of course it is. Isn't it nice?" London said and waited for Zack's approval.

"It's great," Zack said.

"I come up here sometimes to get away from it all. Captain Lunsford won't let me steer the ship though. He's being a meanie," London said with a cute little scowl that made Zack laugh.

It felt good to laugh again. He had spent most of the day wallowing in self pity, but it got him nowhere. Within a matter of minutes London was able to turn everything around for him.

"When Daddy had the ship built he wanted to name a room after me so I suggested the bridge," London said as she looked around the room.

"I like it. It has a nice ring to it," Zack said as he walked around and took in all the sights the room had to offer.

"I see you're feeling better now," London said.

"I'm much better, thank you London. I'm sorry if I had you worried earlier," Zack told her.

"You had us all worried. We know you were in love with her. I mean you would never shut up about it," London said with a grin.

Zack felt a little embarrassed as he realized he did obsess over Maddie through the years. He went silent for a second and London decided to walk over to him.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me," she said.

"No, you're right, I'm sorry," Zack said and London rubbed his back reassuringly.

"It's okay all is forgiven," London said.

"Hey do you think Captain Lunsford will let us take the ship for a spin?" Zack asked excitedly, but when he turned to the Captain he was shaking his head to say no.

"Aww man! Can I at least wear the hat?" Zack asked and after a few seconds the Captain handed him his hat. "Sweet!" Zack added as he placed the hat on his head.

Zack walked over to the captain's wheel and grabbed hold of it. He tried to look dignified and powerful as he did so.

"Look alive men! We have pirates off the starboard side…or something," Zack said with a laugh. "I don't know which side that is," he added.

"Well it's neither side…there are no stars out right now. It's the middle of the day," London said while looking out the window.

Zack had to hold onto the wheel to keep from falling over laughing. London playfully slapped his arm to make him stop, but she had a smile on her face as well. Zack looked at London and felt a sudden rush of emotion that he couldn't explain. Here was this beautiful rich girl that had given up a day in the Bahamas to cheer up an old friend, and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. She must have noticed the look on his face because she said, "What? What's wrong?"

"London…there's something I want to tell you," Zack started to say, but suddenly he was cut off by a loud voice outside.

"NO!!!!!!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO," the voice carried on, but Zack couldn't see who it was.

The no's continued on in one long stream that got quieter and then louder as it approached the door until the door finally opened and Mr. Moseby was standing there.

"What is going on here!?" he cried out.

"Zack's the new captain!" London said, nearly causing Mr. Moseby to have a heart attack.

"What!?" he cried out.

"Relax Mr. Moseby, Captain Lunsford just let me wear his cap," Zack said.

"Get away from the wheel!" Mr. Moseby yelled.

Zack put his hands up in defeat and backed away.

"It's okay Mr. Moseby, the controls were locked. There was no way he could have done any harm," Captain Lunsford said.

"You obviously don't know Zack," Moseby said.

Zack laughed at what he considered a compliment and handed the Captain back his hat.

"So Mr. Moseby what are you doing back on board? I thought you were with the group on the island," Zack said.

"I came back to find London. She disappeared from the group," Moseby said, sounding a little calmer.

"I came here to cheer up Zack," London said.

Mr. Moseby's demeanor changed and the look on his face softened a little as he looked over at Zack and said, "I'm sorry Zack in all this excitement I forgot. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm a lot better now thanks to London," Zack said and put an arm around her, hoping that she wouldn't shrug it off.

She showed no signs of moving so Zack relaxed a little and left his arm in place. Moseby eyed Zack warily for a second, trying to figure out what his angle was, but before he could decide a man walked into the bridge.

"Mr. Moseby you have a phone call from Mr. Tipton. He says it's urgent," the man said.

"Is everything okay?" Moseby asked.

"He didn't tell me anything other than it was urgent," the man said.

Moseby followed him out leaving Zack with his arm still around London, who looked worried.

"I wonder what that was about," London said.

"I'm sure it's just something business related. Nothing we'd worry about," Zack said to comfort her.

London seemed to be content with that answer as she walked over to the window to look outside. Zack was a little disappointed that she had moved away from him, but he didn't want to come off too forward.

"When I was little Daddy would take me out on his yacht to different islands like these. I always loved being on the boat. He would sit me in his lap and let me steer for awhile sometimes," London said without looking away from the window.

"You've pretty much seen the world then huh?" Zack asked.

"A couple of times over," she replied.

She looked out the window for a few more minutes and then turned back to Zack and said, "You had something you wanted to tell me earlier, what was it?"

Zack wasn't prepared for her to ask that so he stammered a little bit.

"Um, it was…I, well you see I was wondering…if," Zack tried to say.

Zack was just about to spit it out when the door opened again and Mr. Moseby came into the room. Zack was about to tell him to wait a second, but the look on Moseby's face stopped him. Mr. Moseby looked stricken and had obviously been crying.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked.

"London…I think you should come with me. We need to talk," Moseby said.

"Moseby what's wrong?" London asked.

"We should go somewhere private London. Please come with me," Moseby said and led her out of the room.

As she left London looked over her shoulder at Zack with a look of worry. All Zack could do was watch with a horrible feeling in his gut. Zack left the bridge and sat down on deck to wait for London to come back. While he was waiting Cody, Bailey, and Woody came over.

"There you are Zack. How are you feeling?" Cody asked.

"I'm better, London came to cheer me up," Zack said.

"So that's where she went," Bailey exclaimed. "Where is she now?"

"Moseby took her to talk about something. I think something bad has happened. Moseby got some sort of urgent phone call from Mr. Tipton and he came back crying and asking to talk to London alone," Zack said.

Everyone exchanged worried glances and decided to sit and wait for her as well.

"I wonder what could have happened," Bailey said.

"I don't know, I just hope she's okay," Zack replied as he stared at the floor.

Zack felt like he was going to throw up at the moment. He couldn't explain why, but he felt so worried for London that it made him ill. It seemed like an hour that London was in the room talking to Moseby and it was driving Zack crazy. Finally the door opened and Mr. Moseby walked out with London clinging to his side and looking extremely distressed. Moseby hugged her and told her he would be back in a few minutes. When he left Zack hurried over to London's side.

"London, what's wrong?" he asked.

London looked up at him with a tear soaked face, trembling from head to toe, so Zack pulled her into an embrace and whispered, "What happened?"

London looked up at him and said, "It's my Mom…she's dead."


	5. Falling Down

**Chapter 5: Falling Down**

Zack led London back to her cabin and took a seat on Bailey's bed while London laid down on hers. The second she hit the mattress she curled up into the fetal position and cried softly.

"Can I get you anything?" Zack asked.

"Could you just stay with me awhile?" London asked quietly.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to," Zack said and London attempted a smile, but it lasted only a split second.

The two of them sat in silence for awhile, but Zack didn't mind. Finally after a long pause London spoke again.

"They say a drunk driver hit her," she said so softly that Zack had to strain to hear her. "I don't understand…she never did anything wrong. Why did this happen to her?"

"I don't know what to tell you. I wish I did, but I don't understand it myself," Zack said as he got down on the floor next to London's bed so they could talk quietly to each other.

London reached her hand out and played with a few strands of hair that had fallen in front of Zack's face. Zack figured she was just trying to find something to do to get her mind off things. She was looking at him, but her eyes were unfocused and her gaze was distant.

"I hardly ever got to spend time with her. Being the only child of Wilfred Tipton meant that I spent most of my time living in his world. Mom never cared for his lifestyle and so she left. I wish I had spent more time with her, it's just not fair," London said and began to cry again.

Zack reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. He gently rubbed her arm to try and sooth her, but it didn't seem to work. There was a knock at the door so Zack got up to answer it. It was Cody, Bailey, and Woody, they had brought her some food. Zack let them in and they took a seat on Bailey's bed.

"London we brought some food. We didn't know if you were hungry or not," Bailey said.

"Thank you," London said quietly and slowly sat up.

London ate slowly, barely touching the food. Everyone let her eat in peace, only talking occasionally. After a few minutes there was another knock on the door and Zack answered. Mr. Moseby was there with some news.

"London your Father has sent the Tipton private jet out and it will be landing here in the Bahamas in a few hours. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?" Moseby asked.

London just shook her head to say no and Moseby leaned down to kiss her on the forehead and tell her he was there if she needed him. As he was leaving Moseby motioned for Zack to come with him into the hallway and Zack followed. Once they were outside and the door was closed Moseby spoke.

"Zack I wanted to thank you for looking after London. I know you care a lot about her and she will need you to be there for her. I also wanted to say that I know you've developed feelings for her. It's pretty easy to see, so my advice to you is to be careful. She's fragile right now, so don't push too hard," Moseby said quietly to Zack.

"I know, don't worry Mr. Moseby I'll take care of her," Zack said.

Moseby patted Zack on the arm and let him go back inside. Once Zack was inside London looked up quickly and the expression on her face was heart wrenching. She looked so confused and lost and when he walked in she gave him a pleading look that almost said, "Take me away from all of this."

Cody met him by the door and whispered, "When you left the room she stopped eating and started crying again. You're the one who can help her through this Zack. We're going to leave the two of you alone for awhile, I don't think she wants this many people in here at once. We'll go pack for the trip and I'll pack your stuff so you can stay with her."

"Okay, thank you," Zack whispered back.

"London we're going to go pack for the trip home, Zack is going to stay with you awhile, but if you need us please call," Bailey said and London attempted another smile.

"Thank you for the food," London said quietly.

"You're welcome," Bailey said and gave her a light hug.

Once everyone had left Zack took a seat next to London and she instantly curled up against him. She placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped her right arm around him, placing her hand on his other shoulder. Zack decided she would be more comfortable if he scooted back against the headrest and they stretched out on the bed. There he held her in his arms and let her cry.

"What do you think Heaven is like?" London asked quietly.

"Well they say the streets are made of gold, so it sounds like a place you would like," Zack said and London let out a weak chuckle. "I would imagine that it would always be sunny and cool outside."

"Do you think there will be shopping in Heaven?" London asked innocently.

"I don't know, but if there is I bet you'd never have to worry about maxing out your card," Zack said with a laugh.

"I bet Mommy is up there having a shopping spree with the angels. Maybe she can buy them something better to wear than plain old white robes," London said and Zack had to smile.

Zack lightly stroked her hair with his hand and slowly he felt her calm down. She had been trembling, but it started to fade.

"Zack I feel sleepy, is it okay if I sleep for awhile?" London asked.

"Sure, do you want me to leave?" Zack asked.

"No! Please stay," London said quickly and wrapped her arm more tightly around him.

"Okay London, I'll stay," Zack said.

London slowly drifted off to sleep, but before she did she quietly said, "I feel like I'm falling and I don't know if I'll ever stop."

"Well I'm here to catch you when you do," Zack whispered in her ear.

"You've…already…," she started to say, but she trailed off before she could finish and fell asleep.

Zack wasn't sure what she was trying to say, but he knew she was pretty tired. She snored so softly that Zack actually found it cute. Her face was right by his neck so he could feel her light breath. He had to resist the urge to kiss her, because he did not want to feel like he was taking advantage of the situation. He dared not make too much movement as not to wake her up, but he was quite content to stay where he was. He stayed there for an hour just holding her while she slept. Occasionally she made a sound in her sleep, but for the most part it was just soft snoring. After an hour or so Zack's phone vibrated and he quickly picked it up before it woke her. He had received a text from Cody that read, "We're all packed and the plane will be here in thirty minutes."

"Thanks, I'll tell London," Zack texted back.

He looked down at her and did not want to wake her, but he had no choice. He bent down and said her name a couple of times until she woke up.

"Huh? Is it morning?" she asked sleepily.

"London the plane will be here in thirty minutes. Do you need to pack anything?" Zack asked.

"No, I have clothes and stuff at home," London said without opening her eyes.

London rubbed her eyes for a few seconds and then stretched her arms out, nearly hitting Zack in the process.

"Oops, sorry," she mumbled to him.

"It's okay," Zack said with a smile.

London got up and headed for the bathroom to freshen up before they left. Zack sat up and texted Cody to tell him they were getting ready while London was busy. After a few minutes the door to the bathroom opened and London came out. Zack had his back turned to the bathroom and almost didn't hear her come out until she was standing beside him. Zack looked up and saw that she had removed her smudged makeup and was now makeup free and still just as beautiful as ever. Zack looked at her and smiled.

"Oh don't look at me I look horrible," she said and covered her face.

Zack stood up and moved her hand before saying, "No you don't. You look…beautiful."

London gave him a weak smile and bit her lip slightly as he smiled back at her. Zack reached out to pull her close for a kiss, but then he remembered what Moseby said and decided not to. For a split second London had a look of confusion, but before she could say anything Zack sat back down to put on his shoes.

"We should go meet up with the others. Is there anything you want to grab from here before we go?" Zack asked.

"No I don't need anything from here," London said, but Zack couldn't help but notice she was looking ready to cry again.

He quickly took her by the hand and said, "It's going to be okay."

Zack stood up and continued to hold her hand as they left the room. The two of them walked out to the deck where they saw a limo driver taking bags down to the car.

"There you are. We were just about to come get you," Moseby said. "London do you not have any bags?"

"I have everything I need at home. I just want to get out of here and get home," London said.

Zack walked with her down the ramp to the limo and the two of them climbed in. Cody, Bailey, and Woody were already inside. Woody looked like he had never been in a limo before and was taking in all the sights when they sat down. The second they sat down London laid her head down against Zack's shoulder and wrapped her arm around his. Woody took notice and looked a little confused.

"Hey are you two…," he started to say, but Bailey lightly elbowed him and gave him a look as if to say "Not now."

"I meant are you two ready for the trip?" Woody said finally.

London nodded and closed her eyes to relax a little. Mr. Moseby climbed into the front passenger seat and looked back at everyone.

"Everyone ready?" he asked and they all nodded.

Moseby raised the barrier between the front and back and they got underway. It didn't take long to arrive at the airport and get onto the plane. Once inside everyone looked around the lavish private jet. Each seat on the plane was a recliner with a foot rest and cup holders. In that back there was a massage table and even a Jacuzzi. In the front there were a couple of seats big enough to fit two. Zack and London took one of them and Cody and Bailey took the other one. Woody made himself comfortable in a recliner as Moseby climbed on board and said, "We will be underway shortly."

Zack looked at London who looked deep in thought. He smiled at her and she gave him the best smile she could muster back.

"It's going to be okay London," Zack said.

London just smiled and rested her head against his shoulder and tried to sleep. As she was drifting off she said, "She would have liked you."

"Your Mom?" Zack asked.

"Yeah," London said and slipped off into sleep.


	6. Ashes, Dust, and Memories

**Chapter 6: Ashes, Dust, and Memories**

When they arrived at the Tipton they were greeted in the Lobby by Esteban, who had been named manager of the Tipton in Moseby's absence. Mr. Moseby walked over to shake hands with Esteban and get an update on Mrs. Tipton's funeral. Zack walked in with London and everyone came over to talk to her. Zack could tell by the look on her face that she didn't want so much attention. She reached over and took his hand and squeezed it lightly as a sign for him to stick close to her. Zack gave her a quick smile and lightly squeezed her hand back. As he turned to look across the lobby he saw Maddie walk over and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't prepared to see her just yet.

"London I'm so sorry," Maddie said as she hugged London.

Others came up to hug London, but amongst the crowd Zack could see her glancing back at him from time to time. While people gathered around to greet her Maddie walked over to Zack and hugged him as well.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm more worried about London right now," Zack said.

"I knew it," Maddie said with a grin.

"Knew what?" Zack asked perplexedly.

"I knew that London was the girl you were talking about in your email. It was kind of easy to figure out when London called me that same day and told me she spent all day with you," Maddie replied.

"Are you mad?" Zack asked.

"No, why would I be mad?" Maddie said. "Zack I'm happy for you. I want you to be happy and I actually think you and London would make a good couple believe it or not."

"Thank you Maddie, I really needed to hear that," Zack said.

"You're welcome, now go save her from the rush of people. She looks like she needs you right now," Maddie said quietly to him.

Zack made his way through the group and took London by the hand before whispering in her ear, "Let's head up to your room. I know you could use a break."

London turned and looked into his eyes with a thankful look.

"I'm going to go up to my room now, but thank you everyone," London said and then let Zack lead her to the elevators.

As they finally got some peace and quiet in the elevator Zack pulled her into a hug. They didn't speak, just held each other until the elevator stopped. When the doors opened Zack's Mom was standing there waiting to get on. She was a little shocked to see Zack hugging London so close.

"Hey Mom," Zack said and London lifted her head to say hi.

Any confusion over what Carey saw was erased when she saw London.

"London I'm so sorry for your loss," Carey said and hugged London as she came onto the elevator.

"Thank you Carey. Your son has been so good to me. I don't know what I'd do without him," London said and Carey looked surprised.

Carey gave Zack a quizzical look before saying, "Well I'm glad he's been there for you."

Zack mouthed the words, "I'll explain later," to his mom and she simply nodded.

"London feel free to come over for dinner tonight. I don't mind cooking for one more," Carey said and London agreed to come.

After Carey stepped off the doors closed and the elevator continued on to the top floor where Zack and London exited. They arrived at London's suite and London looked through her purse for her key card. She was searching and searching, but she found it hard to focus with everything that was going on.

"I can't find the stupid key card," she said in frustration.

"Here let me try," Zack said and took her purse.

After a few seconds he found it wedged in the back corner and unlocked the door for her.

"I'm sorry Zack I'm just so out of it right now," London said and a tear fell from her eye.

Zack placed a hand on her arm and said, "It's okay I understand."

They went inside and found the room just as she had left it. It had the air of a room that had not been used for some time, but to London it was still good to be home. She walked around the living room area to get reacquainted with the place and she stopped at a table filled with pictures. A picture of her Mom caught her eye and she began to cry again. In the picture London was a young child and her Mom was pushing her in a swing. Zack came over to where she was to look at it as well.

"This was at Daddy's mansion. He had a whole playground out back for me to play on," London said.

"She was very pretty. I see where you get your good looks from," Zack said and London smiled at him.

London placed the photo back on the table and excused herself to go to the bathroom while Zack walked around the room looking at all the photos and various things. Much to his delight he found a photo of Himself, Cody, and London from when they first moved to the Tipton and got to know London. He couldn't help but laugh at how young he looked in the photo. He continued to look around the room until he realized that London had been gone for awhile. He walked back to the bathroom and knocked, but there was no answer. Then he heard a noise coming from her closet. He went in to look, but found himself completely lost in the vastness.

"London where are you?" Zack called out.

"I'm in here," he heard her voice say from a couple of rooms over.

Finally he found her kneeling on the ground with tears pouring down her face.

"London what's wrong?" Zack asked.

"I don't have anything to wear for a funeral. All these clothes and none of them are proper for a funeral," she cried.

Zack knelt down beside her and rubbed her back while saying, "It's okay. Maybe Maddie has something you can wear."

London calmed down a little, but she still looked distressed.

"I can't do this Zack," she cried.

"Yes you can. You're strong, you're a Tipton after all," Zack said and London let out a little chuckle amid the sobs.

She finally stood up and tried to calm herself down.

"I think I'm going to take a bath and try to unwind," she said finally.

"Okay, well I'll go down to my suite and help Mom make dinner. Whenever you're ready just come join us," Zack said.

London nodded and Zack turned to leave, but she stopped him and said, "Zack, thank you for everything."

"You're welcome. You were there for me when I was hurting, so of course I would do the same for you," he said and then she stepped up close to him.

She was so close that he could almost feel her still trembling. Every fiber of his body told him to kiss her right then and there, but he still heard Moseby's warning in his head. In her current state he would feel like he was taking advantage of her. There was a hesitant moment where he thought she would make a move, but once she realized nothing was happening she backed off a little.

"Well I'll see you at dinner," she said with a smile.

"Okay," Zack said and then turned to leave.

Once he got to the hallway he was kicking himself mentally. He knew he should have gone for it, but he didn't. He still wasn't sure how to handle this volatile situation. He headed back to his suite and walked in to find his Mom busy in the kitchen.

"Hi honey," she said as he closed the door. "How's London?"

"Sometimes I think she's doing better and then she's crying again. I'm doing my best to make her feel better," Zack said as he plopped down into a chair at the dining table.

"Zack can I ask you a question? Do you have feelings for London?" Cary asked.

"Yes, I do," Zack said.

"When did this start? I thought you liked Maddie?" Cary asked as she sat down beside him.

"I did…I mean I do, but Maddie is taken now and over the last few days I've spent a lot of time with London. She's amazing and she was there for me when I was depressed about Maddie so I want to be there for her," Zack said and looked to his Mom hoping for approval.

Carey knew her son and she knew that he could be a very compassionate person when he wanted to be.

"Honey that's great and if you do have true feelings for her that's great too, but be careful with her right now," Carey said to him.

"I know, Mr. Moseby gave me the same speech," Zack said impatiently.

"Well he's right. If things are meant to be they will happen in due time, but for now you just focus on being there for her as a friend," Carey said and then got up to finish cooking.

Soon London was knocking on the door and joining them for dinner. Cody and Bailey came as well. London was thankful for the chance to get back to some normalcy and even found herself laughing a few times during the meal. She was sad to see it end, but it started getting late and she wanted to sleep. Zack then walked her back to her suite to say goodnight. After another awkward moment where a kiss almost happened they decided to hug and part ways. Zack wasn't able to sleep at all that night. He kept thinking that London was in her room crying and he just wanted to be there with her, but he knew his Mom would not approve.

Over the next two days Zack stayed by London's side as preparations were made for the funeral. London was able to borrow a dress from Maddie to wear and it helped her calm down a little bit. Maddie had a few days off of work to help cheer London up as well and London was grateful for it. Zack was a little disappointed when Maddie told him her new fiancé was out of town as he kind of wanted to meet him, but he knew it could wait for another time.

When the day of the funeral finally arrived London was a wreck. She was waiting with Maddie in the lobby for Zack to come down and Maddie was trying to comfort her. Bailey, who had been staying with Maddie, was on London's other side comforting her as well. Soon the elevators opened and out came Carey, Cody, and Zack. London perked up slightly when Zack came over and took her by the hand.

"Are you okay?" he whispered to her.

"I think so," she whispered back.

They all exited the hotel to find Mr. Moseby, Esteban and Woody, who had been staying at Moseby's apartment, waiting for them. They piled into two limos to take them to the funeral home and the whole ride London sat with her head on Zack's shoulder. When they arrived they took a seat at graveside and watched as others arrived. Mr. Tipton was there with his usual security guards, but he stayed towards the back as some of London's Mom's family did not care for him. Once everyone was seated they began. A choir sang a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace" that brought tears to everyone's eyes. When it was over London reached down and took Zack's hand and interlocked her fingers with his. She held on tightly and trembled slightly as the priest got up to speak.

"Today we come here to honor the memory of Sun-Li Tipton. She was a loving mother and a strong willed woman. She will be remembered by all those who loved her as a caring and loving woman," the priest said.

London was crying hard as Zack held her close. She listened as the priest went through his speech and all her memories of her Mom came to her.

"Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear sister here departed, we therefore commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust," the priest said as he came to a close.

Once it was over Zack led London over to the casket where London placed a rose on top and then kissed her hand before touching it to the casket.

"Goodbye Mom, I love you," she said quietly.

London, Zack, and the rest then walked a short ways away from the crowd to talk. As they were talking a gray haired man walked over. He was well dressed in a designer suit and looked to be a wealthy man. London looked up at him and said, "Hi Daddy."

Everyone was shocked to finally get a glimpse of Mr. Tipton's face, because usually he was hidden behind security. He hugged his daughter and kissed her on the forehead.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm doing better," she said quietly to him. "Daddy is it okay if my friends come to the mansion?"

Mr. Tipton looked around him and noticed Mr. Moseby, Esteban, Carey, Maddie, Woody, Cody, Bailey, and Zack standing there.

"I think that would be alright," he said finally and London smiled for the first time that day.

She walked over to Zack and hugged him before whispering, "Thank you so much for being here for me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're welcome. I'm always here for you," Zack said.

Everyone piled back into the limos for the ride to the Tipton mansion. Zack was actually quite anxious to go as he was still not sure how her Dad would react if he found out Zack had feelings for London.


	7. Lullaby

**Chapter 7: Lullaby**

The limo ride was about an hour or so since the mansion was located in the Massachusetts countryside. When they finally arrived they had to drive through large wrought iron gates with a large cursive "T" on each one. The front lawn was long and sloping as the house sat up on a hill. Large bushes lined the driveway up to the house, which curved slightly until it ended up right in front of the front door. It continued on to a large garage, but the driver stopped in front of the door to let the passengers out. Everyone inside except London was in awe of the place.

"I'm surprised you didn't just live here instead of the hotel," Woody said.

"I liked being in the middle of all the action. It was so boring out here," London said.

Everyone piled out of the car and stretched their legs while a butler exited the house to welcome them.

"Hi Jeeves," London said to the butler and he bowed.

"You actually have a butler named Jeeves?" Zack asked with a chuckle.

London nodded as she led everyone into the house. As they were going in the butler leaned over to Zack and said, "My name is actually Harold, but we let her call me Jeeves because it makes her happy."

"This place is so beautiful London," Bailey said as she looked around the foyer of the house.

On the floor of the entry way was a mosaic of the cursive "T" for Tipton. When they looked up they saw a high ceiling with a skylight dome. In front of them was a winding staircase with beautiful polished banisters.

"This place is awesome! Can we slide down the banisters?" Woody said in anticipation.

London shook her head vehemently to say no and Woody looked disappointed. As they reached the bottom of the staircase Mr. Tipton came in from the room on the right.

"Welcome to my home. We will be having dinner soon, until then feel free to relax in the den," he said and led them into a large room with many couches and love seats.

Zack and London took a seat on one of the love seats, while everyone else found a spot. The room was decorated with antique furniture, paintings, vases, and other items found from around the world. Carey walked around looking at all the decorations with wide eyed wonder. As she stood looking at a painting Mr. Tipton came in and walked over to her.

"That's one of my favorites," he said from right behind her.

Carey jumped slightly and tried to quickly regain her composure.

"Mr. Tipton I'm sorry I didn't realize you where there," Carey said with a nervous laugh.

"That's quite alright Carey, please take a seat," Mr. Tipton said and motioned towards a chair beside Cody and Bailey.

As Mr. Tipton looked around the room, for a second his eyes stopped on Zack and London. Zack was holding London's hand to help calm her and Mr. Tipton saw it. His eyes narrowed for just a second before he continued looking around the room. Zack was extremely nervous, but he refused to let go of her hand. Thankfully for him Mr. Tipton had ignored it for the time being. Another butler walked over to Mr. Tipton and whispered something to him and he nodded.

"Dinner is ready if you will all head to the dining room," Tipton said.

They were served a four course meal at a large dining table that could have seated around thirty Zack guessed. London sat right next to her Dad, who sat at the head of the table. Next to London was Zack, followed by Cody, Bailey, and Woody. Across the table from them were Moseby, Esteban, and Carey.

"Esteban I trust things are going well at the hotel?" Mr. Tipton asked.

"Oh yes, very well," Esteban said with pride.

"Moseby is my ship still in one piece?" Tipton asked and Carey nearly choked on her food when he asked.

Zack had a feeling that Tipton was referring to him and Cody.

"Yes sir, it's in tip top shape," Moseby said and then flashed a warning glare and Zack and Cody.

Zack glanced over and noticed that London hadn't touched much of her food.

"Are you okay?" he whispered to her and she gave him a slight nod, but her face said otherwise.

Mr. Tipton must have noticed because he turned his attention to Zack.

"I understand I have you to thank for looking after my daughter these last few days," Tipton said to Zack.

"Yes sir, I care about your daughter a lot," Zack said and braced himself for whatever was coming.

Mr. Tipton eyed Zack as if he were studying him before saying, "I also understand that I have you to thank for most of the ship's repair bills."

Zack laughed nervously, but Tipton only flashed a half grin before returning to his food.

"I don't know if I'd say most," Zack said and began to laugh again, but it quickly faded.

Zack suddenly became very interested in his food, but he managed to catch a stern glare from his Mom and Moseby. Zack was thankful that dinner ended soon after and they all moved back to the den to talk. As they were leaving London took hold of Zack's hand and guided him in another direction.

"Come with me," she said.

"Will your Dad mind?" Zack asked, but it didn't stop London.

She led him to her room, which made Zack very nervous, but she gave his hand a light squeeze to tell him it was alright. Once they got there Zack was not surprised to find her room looked almost exactly like her room at the Tipton. There were photos all around of her and her friends, including Zack and Cody. Zack was busy looking around when something small brushed past his leg and jumped up on London's bed.

"Ivana!" London cried out.

London picked up her dog and hugged it close.

"I've missed you so much," she said and then laid the dog back on the bed.

London then turned her attention to a cabinet at the back of the room. She opened it up and pulled out a large book. When she brought it over Zack noticed that it was a photo album. London motioned for Zack to sit on the edge of the bed with her where she opened up the album.

"These are pictures of my Mom and me," London said and pointed to a page full of baby photos of London.

Zack had to smile at the cute pictures of her as a baby. London seemed lost in thought as she turned the pages. Occasionally she would explain a picture.

"This was my crib when I was a baby. It was made of gold," she said.

"Wow, that's nice," Zack said as even in the old picture you could still see the sparkle.

As they were looking Zack thought he heard a noise in the hallway and turned to look, but nothing was there.

"Are you okay?" London asked.

"I'm fine, your Dad just has me a little nervous," Zack said.

"Don't mind him, I have him wrapped around my pinky," London said with a grin.

Zack went back to looking at the photos and tried to relax.

"So was your Mom Chinese?" Zack asked.

"I think so, when I asked her she always told me she was 'among' them, what ever that means," London said.

"Oh I think you mean Hmong," Zack corrected her.

"Isn't that what I said?" London asked confusedly.

"Yes, yes that's what you said," Zack said and couldn't help but smile at that innocence that made her so cute.

Zack noticed that London was staring at a picture of when she was around one year old. Finally after a few moments London spoke up.

"I don't have many memories of when I was a baby, but I do remember this lullaby my Mom always sung to me. _Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks the cradle will fall. And down will come baby cradle and all_," London sang, and for the first time Zack could ever remember she hit every note perfectly.

"It's kind of a scary song for a baby when you think about it, but Mom always told me that when the cradle fell the Mommy was there to catch the baby. She said that it meant that life will be rough, but someone will be there to catch you," London said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Zack wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. He looked into her eyes and had every intention of kissing her. He was even leaning in when all of the sudden his Mom called out to him.

"Zack, where are you?" Carey called.

"We're back here," Zack said and the two of them stood up and exited the room.

Thankfully they found his Mom before she realized that they were in London's bedroom, but she was still a little upset that they had gone off alone.

"Guys don't go off by yourselves like that," Carey said.

"Why not?" Zack asked.

"You know why not young man," Carey said sternly.

The two of them walked back to the den and rejoined everyone. It was starting to get late and many of them were beginning to yawn. Mr. Tipton then reappeared in the den to talk to them.

"You are all welcome to stay the night. We have plenty of rooms available to you. I'm going to turn in, but feel free to stay up as long as you want. We will always have someone who is up to assist you. Goodnight and thank you for coming," Mr. Tipton said and then left the room.

The adults decided to turn in and one by one they left the room. As Carey was leaving she turned to Zack and said, "You should let London get some sleep, and that goes for you too Cody. Let the girls got to bed."

Both Zack and Cody groaned at their Mom, but Bailey stood up and said, "She's probably right. We'll have all day tomorrow to hang out Cody."

As Bailey left to go to bed she kissed Cody, which caused a raised eyebrow by Carey. London reluctantly got up, but as she did she slipped a paper into Zack's hand and winked at him. As the girls left with Carey Zack read the note, which said, "Meet me back in the den after everyone is asleep."

Zack waited in his bedroom for about an hour and then slipped out quietly. When he reached the den he found London already there. Quietly he came over and sat down on the couch with her.

"Took you long enough," she said with a quiet giggle.

"Sorry," Zack said, but in truth he was glad to see her smiling again. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Probably not, but I really wanted to see you," she said. "I do believe we were in the middle of something earlier when we got interrupted."

Zack's heart began to pound as she leaned in close and finally after all the waiting their lips met. It started soft and gentle, but emotions overwhelmed London and she flung her arms around him. Her tears began to pour out as they kissed. After a minute or so she broke the kiss and fell into his arms, crying her eyes out.

"I was beginning to think you didn't like me the way I like you," she cried. "Every time I thought we were going to kiss you backed off."

"I do like you London. I'm so sorry, but I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of you while you were so upset. I wanted to kiss you all those times, but I didn't know what to do," Zack said.

London looked into his eyes with a look of pure adoration as she said, "It's not taking advantage of me if it's what I want too."

The two of them kissed some more while lying on the couch. Soon they found themselves drifting off to sleep. London lay on her side with Zack on his side behind her. His arm was wrapped around her waist as the two of them fell asleep.

"We should probably go back to our own rooms," London said quietly as she drifted off. "Someone might…," she started to say, but sleep overtook her.

Zack knew that it was crazy for them to be sleeping in here, but he did not want to leave. London was sound asleep, but Zack's nerves had him waking up on and off. Each time he swore to himself that he was going to go back to his room, but he couldn't pry himself away. Zack was beginning to drift off again when a noise woke him up. Zack's heart plummeted as he knew someone was in the room. Slowly Zack looked up and saw the last person he wanted to see.

"I think you need to come with me Zack," Mr. Tipton said quietly.


	8. When the Bough Breaks

**Chapter 8: When the Bough Breaks**

Zack walked in silence behind Mr. Tipton as he led him off to a far corner of the house. He guessed that Mr. Tipton didn't want to wake the whole house with his yelling. Zack had never been as nervous as he was now. Finally they arrived in a study and Mr. Tipton switched on a small lamp on a desk. With only a lamp to light the room it had a shadowy ominous feel to it. Mr. Tipton then took a seat and motioned for Zack to do the same. Zack sat in a chair and tried not to let his fear show through.

"Would you like to explain what you were doing with my daughter?" Mr. Tipton asked.

"Nothing happened sir, I promise. We fell asleep on the couch, but that's it," Zack said.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the two of you go to your own rooms? Why weren't you sleeping there?" Mr. Tipton asked with increasing impatience.

"London wanted to see me, she needed to talk," Zack replied.

"It didn't look to me like you were talking," Mr. Tipton said as he leaned closer to Zack.

"She's been going through a lot and I've done my best to comfort her over the last few days. Yes, we did get a little cozier than we should have, but I promise I did not do anything bad to her," Zack said as his heart beat a mile a minute.

"Were the two of you kissing?" Mr. Tipton asked.

"Yes, we did kiss," Zack said and he could already tell this was not going to end well.

"So you snuck out of your room in the middle of the night to make out with my daughter?" Mr. Tipton asked, sounding a little angrier.

"I snuck out to talk with her, the kissing sort of just happened," Zack replied. "Sir, I have total respect for London. I would never do anything to hurt her. I know how hard she's taken her mother's death and I wanted to help her deal with that," Zack said and Mr. Tipton then reached into the desk.

Zack's heart almost stopped as he was unsure what Mr. Tipton was getting from the desk. When he closed the desk drawer he sat up with a piece of paper in his hand.

"I don't doubt that you care about my daughter Zack. In fact over the course of the day I've noticed that you seem to be the only thing that makes her happy right now. The problem is over the years you've proven to be reckless, immature, and almost impossible to control. Here in my hand I hold a list of things you have destroyed or damaged in both my hotel and ship!" Mr. Tipton yelled.

"Mr. Tipton I am sorry about all of that, but…," Zack started to say, but Tipton cut him off.

"Why should I let you date my daughter? She already has a hard enough time focusing on her school work without a miscreant like you distracting her!" Tipton said and this time he was even louder than before.

"Sir I've seen her improve a lot in school over the last year. I've even helped her on school projects before. She's done just fine with me there so far," Zack said.

"The problem is now that you are dating her she won't be able to focus. London is so easily swayed and frankly you've taken advantage of her at an opportune time for yourself!" Tipton yelled and slammed his fist against the desk.

"Now that's not true! I did my best to keep being there as just a friend. I let her choose the pace and she chose to make a move," Zack yelled.

Tipton looked furious at Zack's outburst. Zack figured that he was used to getting his way and wasn't about to back down from a child.

"I have observed you over the course of the day and every chance you got you have put the moves on my daughter. I saw you holding her hand in the den and I saw you trying to kiss her in her room!" Tipton yelled.

"So you were the one in the hallway? I knew someone was out there! You were spying on her?" Zack said a little quieter this time.

"That's my right!" Tipton said defensively.

"She reached out for my hand and we both went for that kiss. I haven't made her do anything she didn't want to do," Zack said.

"I have heard enough of this. I am her Father and I say that you will never be allowed to see her again!" Tipton said and Zack felt like someone had ripped out his gut.

"What!? Why? After all she's been through why would you do that to her?" Zack asked.

"It is for the best! I am pulling her out of Seven Seas High and putting her into a private school," Tipton started to say.

"What!?" Zack yelled.

Tipton looked angry at Zack for yelling over him, but he continued.

"Since you were generous enough to look after her the last few days I will allow you and your brother to stay at Seven Seas High, but if you step one more foot out of line you will both be gone! Oh and if you feel like making any attempts to see her again don't forget that I hold your Mother's job in the palm of my hand. I have been nice enough to let your Mother live at the hotel as long as she's worked for me, but I can take that all away!" Tipton said with almost a grin.

Zack fought back the urge to scream and yell, but he figured things were bad enough as they were.

"Also you will be leaving tonight and will be sent back to the ship. Your friends and family can leave tomorrow as planned, but I want you out of my sight tonight. I will explain everything to your mother tomorrow," Tipton said and stood up to see Zack out.

Zack wanted to say something, but he had already threatened his mother's job. Mr. Tipton seemed determined to keep them apart.

"This isn't right," Zack said.

Mr. Tipton turned around and looked at Zack before saying, "Would you like me to expel both you and your brother and fire your mother? If not then get on that plane tonight and go back to school!"

Zack literally shook with rage, but he held it back and stormed out of the room.

"Hold it! Don't even think of returning to that den. One of my butlers will bring you your bag, so I want you to head straight for the limo waiting out front," Mr. Tipton said.

Zack had no choice, if he stayed then he would be costing his brother and mother so much, but the whole situation was unfair in Zack's eyes. He gave in and headed for the limo where he sat and waited for his bag. Harold the butler came outside and handed it to him, but Zack stopped him from walking away.

"Harold could you give London a message for me? I don't want Mr. Tipton to find out about it though," Zack said.

"Your secret is safe with me young man," Harold said.

"Tell her that I'm sorry for all of this and that I will find away to see her again somehow," Zack said quietly to him.

"I will tell her," Harold said and then he patted Zack on the arm.

The door was shut and the limo driver started to drive as Zack watched the mansion closely. He kept his eyes on the house until he could see it no more and as they drove off the tears started to flow. Zack buried his face in his hands and just let it all out. He continued on this way until they reached the airport. The limo took him all the way to the private jet, which was parked near the jet ways. Zack slowly climbed onboard and took a seat. Within minutes they were on their way back to the ship. The plane ride took a few hours and Zack tried to sleep, but he found it impossible to do with all that was on his mind. Finally they landed in some place that Zack never bothered to get the name of and he was escorted to the dock where the S.S. Tipton was located. It was around mid morning when Zack arrived and he went straight to his cabin without saying hi to anyone.

Zack stayed in his cabin all day until around evening time there as a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" Zack called out.

"It's Cody," Cody said from the other side.

Zack contemplated whether or not he wanted to talk to him, but then he realized he might have news.

"Come in Cody," Zack said.

When the door opened Zack was shocked to find that Bailey, Woody, Maddie, Moseby, Esteban, and his Mom were there as well.

"Gee thanks for telling me you had guests," Zack said, but honestly he was nervous as to what they had to say to him.

Carey stood at the foot of Zack's bed and looked at the floor while trying to think of what to say. She looked serious, but not necessarily angry.

"Zack…first off I don't condone the fact that you snuck out of your room in the middle of the night to see London, but with that said…I'm not angry with you. In fact none of us are. Mr. Tipton tried to give us the same speech about how he held our jobs in his hands and frankly we told him to stick it," Carey said and Zack was absolutely floored.

"Wait…did you lose your jobs?" Zack asked all of them.

"Honey I was going to resign anyway. Turns out during my tour of the Tipton Hotels a record producer saw my act…I've been signed to a deal," Carey said with a smile.

"Mom that's great!" Zack said, but then he turned to Moseby and Esteban. "What about you guys, you didn't have to quit your jobs for London and me."

"Zack I couldn't bring myself to work for Mr. Tipton if this is how he will treat his employees, and his family," Moseby said.

"Neither could I," Esteban said as well.

"But what about Cody and me? Are we expelled?" Zack asked.

"We don't know yet, but if he tries we will fight it," Moseby said.

"And London, what about her?" Zack asked anxiously.

"Zack, as much as we would have liked to help her, she's still Mr. Tipton's daughter. If he wants to pull her out of school we really can't stop him," Carey said with a look of sadness.

Zack's heart sank, with all the good news he had hoped that London would have been able to return.

"Thank you, everyone, you didn't have to do this," Zack said.

"Yes we did, it was the right thing to do," Esteban said.

Zack spent the rest of the day with all of them, trying to decide what to do next. Moseby had confidence that he could find a new job no problem, while Esteban was hopeful, but not as confident. Cody, Bailey, Maddie, and Woody did their best to cheer Zack up, but it was no use. As it got late, Zack decided to turn in for the night.

"Thanks everyone, for trying to cheer me up, but I think I'm going to call it a night," Zack said and headed for his cabin.

Zack barely got any sleep that night and when he did he had nightmares of London calling out to him, but he couldn't find her. Finally, once the sun was up and he was sure he wouldn't get any more sleep, he dragged himself out of bed and cleaned up before heading to breakfast. He arrived on deck to find all of his family and friends sitting around talking. Once they spotted him they quickly hushed up, which made Zack a little suspicious.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, we were just worried about you that's all," Carey said.

Zack gave them all a funny look before heading over to the breakfast cart. After piling his plate full he glanced around and was surprised to find that they were still near land.

"I thought we were heading out today," he said, but no one seemed to hear him.

Zack figured there must have been something wrong with the ship, so he sat down to eat and didn't give it another thought. Just as he was about to take a bite someone behind him spoke.

"Look! What is that?" a woman asked.

"It looks like a helicopter," a man answered.

Zack nearly choked on his food as he turned around and looked to the sky. Sure enough a helicopter was approaching the ship. Zack quickly ran over to a man who was using binoculars to bird watch and grabbed them away from him, nearly strangling him with the strap.

"Sorry, I need this real quick," Zack said and took them off of him.

Zack looked through the binoculars and felt a rush of emotion as he saw the Tipton symbol on the side. He wasn't sure if the helicopter held Mr. Tipton, London, or both, but either way he had to find out. He quickly returned the binoculars to the man he took them from with a hurried apology. Zack then took off running up the stairs towards the landing pad at full speed. By the time he reached the top he was out of breath, but he didn't care. He stayed at a safe distance as the helicopter landed and he waited for the door to open while his heart nearly beat out of his chest. The doors did not open right away, which was driving Zack crazy, but once the propellers stopped the door opened. At first Zack couldn't see who was inside, but then a person stepped out.

"London!" Zack yelled as he rushed to greet her.

London stood there on the landing pad with tears in her eyes and a smile as Zack made his way over to her. He scooped her up into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. The two of them kissed for a good minute or so while the people below them cheered loudly. Finally he put her down and took a good look at her, but their arms remained wrapped around each other.

"I don't understand, your Dad said we could never see each other again," Zack said.

"What did I tell you before? I have him wrapped around my pinky," London said with a smile. "Once he realized his best employees were quitting he began to understand. Then I told him that I was going to finish school and it was going to be at Seven Seas High whether he liked it or not. I also told him that you were the best thing that's ever happened to me and if he valued my happiness he wouldn't try to prevent us from seeing each other. He finally gave in once he realized how serious I was."

Zack was amazed with London; he couldn't stop smiling even if he tried.

"Daddy is giving everyone their jobs back. He realized that he reacted harshly and I heard he's even going to make an appearance to apologize in person. That's something he never does," London said with a laugh.

"You are amazing," Zack said.

"I know…it's a gift I have," she said with a smirk.

Zack pulled close and whispered in her ear, "I thought I almost lost you."

"You'll never lose me. You were there for me when the wind blew and the bough broke and I fell," she whispered back.

"I told you I will be there to catch you," Zack said.

"And I tried to tell you before…you've already caught me," she whispered and then pulled him into a kiss.

Another round of applause erupted from the deck below. Mr. Mosey could even be seen crying and trying to wipe the tears with a pocket hanky. Zack and London continued to kiss as the ship pulled into port, but to the two of them in that moment nothing else in the world existed but them.

**The end.**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it. I know it was a bit of a tear jerker, but I hadn't really done one yet so it was new to me. I know I threw those updates out their pretty quickly, but I was posting them as I wrote them. Thanks for reading and be sure to read my other works.**


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